June 2, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
In the spirit of ensuring a peaceful conduct of student union election slated for today the Sierra Leone Police has invited the contesting Presidential Candidates, the Director of Communications of University of Sierra Leone Dr. Tonya Musa and the Student Warden Rev. Buck to a joint press conference in recommitting to violence votes casting process.
Despite the two main contesting candidates Adama Sillah and Binta Jalloh were unable to make it to the presser; the Deputy Inspector General of Police Elizabeth Turay informed that the Police is very much concerned about the looming fear of hostility in this election.
The Police leadership has recalled past elections that were characterized by violence and so the roundtable yesterday was to work towards building confidence that the whole process will conducted in civility.
Elizabeth Turay used the occasion to entreat the candidates to preach peace and appeal to their supporters to refrain from violent actions.
She assured that the Sierra Leone police is ready and fit to keep the peace during the vote casting period and afterwards, yet the will want to see a harmonious electoral process based mutual respect and observance of the rule of law. The Police boss said she hopes to see the defeated candidate congratulating the winner.
“We don’t actually want to go with more force in order to police this election but all depends on the manner in which you behalf yourself. So we want the aspirants to know that we are committed to the process and we will give our required supports and the same time you have to support the police by creating the enabling environment wherein, everybody will go and exercises his/her franchise”, she appealed.
In his contribution, the Director of Communication at the University of Sierra Leone Dr. Tonya Musa thanked the leadership of the Sierra Leone Police for hosting them to discuss and negate electoral violence.
He added his voice to appeals for students to ensure, fair and credible election on the polling day. He added that the exhibition of peaceful atmosphere will just further enhance their democratic culture.
He stressed the need to inculcate the values of patience as every election must have winner and loser, a fact all students must be prepared to accept today.
He said what is more paramount and fundamental in the whole process is peace. He further encouraged that aspiring candidates to take leadership in influencing the behavior of the supporters in order to committee themselves to a process of having a free, fair, credible and violence free elections. He advised them to professionally channel whatever complaints they might have to the respective authorities.
The Student Warden Rev. Buck assured that the electioneering process will be one hundred percent securitized. He added that students are only required to go and vote and then go back to their respective houses in order to prevent any gathering that might have the propensity to provoke violence. He also assured of credibility of the entire electioneering process wherein, all the six aspirants will be sitting in one room and sign on the back of the ballot paper including him before the ballot papers are taking out for voting. He disclosed that out of ten thousand students; only about one thousand five hundred students are registered and eligible to vote in the election.
One of the contesting candidates Minkailu Sama expressed his delight that the Police is concerned about a peaceful electoral process. He pledged support to peace, noting that his supporters are committed to keeping the peace.